Book Reviews & Buzz

GeekDad.com

“This book is so full of wisdom that I could tell you dozens of good parts and there would still be hundreds more for you to discover. Almost every sentence of Weldon’s writing makes me want to take notes, or yell out, “Yes, that’s it exactly!” to whoever will listen. She verbalizes kid, learning and homeschooling topics incredibly well. Reading this book, I learned as much about myself, and how I learn and experience things, as I learned about my kids. So while this book deals with the teaching of children, it is equally applicable to anyone, grown ups included.” By Jenny Williams

The Parental Intelligence Newsletter (Australia)

“So many ideas jumped out at me as I was reading this book – some new to me, some very familiar – I found myself stopping frequently to ponder. Not only on matters of educating my children and on my life as a dad, but also on life, the universe and everything! Light bulb moments.” By Bob Collier

“Occasionally I come across a book that significantly changes or enhances the way I understand a topic. In terms of the way our children learn, and the way we (as a society) attempt to teach them, Laura Grace Weldon’s book really struck a chord with me. I want to start by saying that readers interested in this subject shouldn’t be put off by the homeschooling title, because even if ours wasn’t a home-educating family this book would still have changed my outlook on education and the way that children learn, and opened my eyes to a world of learning that I (as a school-educated individual myself) was not fully aware of.

Free Range Learning is not just about how children learn, but about how people in general learn, which makes it applicable to all adults as well. Weldon makes a strong case for the argument that children learn best when left to it, with aid and supervision but with minimal intervention and direction. She uses a mixture of anecdotes from her readers and fans of her popular Facebook page, which conjure up personal memories of being taught in a school environment, and draws on a range of scientific studies that look at the way our brains work, how we learn, why we learn and what stops us wanting to learn, all of which makes this a very detailed, well-written, well-researched, easy-to-read book.” By Zion Lights

“When I opened the book and read an explanation of how a child learns and how to encourage him to retain a curiosity and a love for learning, I was hooked. My background in educational psychology confirmed the notions set forth in this book. This book promotes the freedom to learn and express oneself naturally and creatively.” By Richele McFarlin

“Laura Weldon draws on the experiences of diverse homeschoolers and her own insightful observations to show why learning rooted in the family and community makes so much sense. She demonstrates that when young people are allowed to learn freely and naturally, they gain extraordinary competence, self-confidence, maturity and wisdom. Free Range Learning provides a holistic overview of family-based learning, including teaching strategies (and resources) across many subjects and aspects of child development. The approach is inclusive and inviting—it is not argumentative but simply consists of Weldon and others sharing and reflecting on their own experiences.”

Reviewed by Education Revolution editor Ron Miller

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Under the Golden Apple Tree

“This my friends should be required reading for those who consider themselves teachers.” By Richele McFarlin

“Laura shares data that helps any parent or educator wanting to understand how vital natural learning is to each and every child. She also offers valuable insight and tips on everything starting with where to begin to how to create enriching networks in your own community.” By Mary Nix

“That kind of detailed presentation, that concern with communicating the depth of whatever it is she is writing about, is why I see Laura’s book as a new classic in the homeschooling book genre. It is a resource you will turn to again and again, for inspiration, for ideas, for encouragement, and for a reminder that homeschooling does indeed change everything.” By Susan Gaissert

“Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everythingby Laura Grace Weldon is an amazing book for both veteran and new homeschoolers. It is more than just a how to book for homeschooling. It is book about how children learn naturally, how best to guide them, and how to live a life of learning.

There is so much information in this 300-page, 8×11-inch book…You will discover how learning happens naturally, what kinds of emotions and environment need to be present in order for learning to take place, and how changing our ideals of education can change the future.” By Stacy Rocha.

“I nod my head enthusiastically while I’m reading each paragraph and feel like breaking out all the highlighters in the house, just like in college. The author’s words ring true and crystal clear for me – they resonate deeply and are dancing a mighty jig with my beliefs about homeschooling.

It is one of the most valuable contributions to the homeschooling movement that I have read to-date. Please, if you can, get your hands on a copy and read it cover to cover. Then read it again. It may help change your worldview and then some.”

“Children – all children – have the gift of curiosity: of wanting to learn, to seek out information, to experiment and grow and gather knowledge. Laura Grace Weldon’s book, Free Range Learning, explores this universal truth. Through impeccable research and reassuring anecdotes from parents across the globe, Weldon presents a convincing case to trust our children and, just as importantly, to embrace and support a more relaxed learning environment for them.” By Beth Balmanno

“Free Range Learning is rare among homeschooling books in being of great value wherever you are on the homeschooling path… FRL is a treasure chest of riches.” Reviewed by Secular Homeschooling editor Deborah Markus.

If you are considering homeschooling, or are in the thick of it, this book will inspire and help you. If you are a teacher or a parent with children in school, this book will show you many new ways to think about learning and how you can help children. By Pat Farenga

“More than anyone else, life learners know that children are naturally “free range learners.” We also tend to understand that interest-based, self-directed learning is a lifestyle – often accompanied by a desire to embrace values like simpler, slower living; cooperation; and conviviality. Those are all things that Laura Grace Weldon embodies and writes about. She lives on a small farm (www.bitofearthfarm.com) with her husband and four home-educated kids. And she is an eloquent, articulate, wryly humorous writer.

All of that comes together in her new book Free Range Learning: HowHomeschooling Changes Everything (Hohm Press, 2010). Although the book’s 8-1/2 by 11-inch format makes it a bit hard to handle on a full read-through, it has a lively format and is an eclectic and wise reference guide to learning without school. There is a useful and affirming mix of philosophy, comments from other homeschoolers, as well as how-to tips that cover everything from academic subjects like Science and Nature; Math, Business & Critical Thinking; and Language Arts to Field Tripping and Adventure Homeschooling.

There is really something here for homeschoolers of every persuasion, although Weldon’s bias is towards real-life learning, trusting children, and preserving their curiosity about the world. In fact, her first chapter is entitled “Natural Learning Happens Everywhere.”

Life Learning Magazine readers might find some chapters more helpful than others. But I really like the suggestions for finding a mentor, building learning communities, and other sorts of collaboration. And the many voices of homeschooling families from around the world that are scattered throughout the book are positive and often full of friendly wisdom. By editor Wendy Priesnitz

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New Urban Habitat

“It’s every parent’s job to create an enriching household that fosters a love of learning, and Weldon offers an invaluable resource for doing that.”

“Weldon’s nearly 300 page book (large pages too!) is just teeming with practical suggestions for parents. From texts, curricula, organizations, and websites right down to countless, simple ideas on how a didactically-inclined parent might steer a day’s activities. This comprehensive book is EXACTLY what my wife and I need as we enter the intermediate stage of homeschooling – just beyond literacy and numeracy…

I just want to reiterate that the strength of this book is that it’s a genuine font of ideas – a book that won’t be simply read, tucked into a bookshelf and/or passed on. My wife and I will no doubt be consulting Free Range Learning with biblical regularity – in the development of our educational website, on rainy days, and in the course of our homeschool macro-planning.”

Laura’s background includes teaching nonviolence, writing collaborative poetry with nursing home residents, facilitating support groups for abuse survivors, and writing sardonic greeting cards. She is currently a book editor. She also leads workshops on memoir, poetry, and creative thinking for Cuyahoga County Public Library, Literary Cleveland, and elsewhere. Her poetry appears in such places as Verse Daily, J Journal, Neurology, Literary Mama, and Penman Review. Her creative nonfiction and essays appear in such places as Wired, MOON Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, Praxis, and Under the Gum Tree.

She also blogs optimistically on topics such as learning, creative living, mindfulness, and hope.

Laura lives on a small farm where she works as an editor while also slooowly writing the 17 books she alleges she’ll actually finish.

Although she has deadlines to meet she tends to wander from the computer to preach hope, snort with laughter, cook subversively, ponder life’s deeper meaning, talk to livestock, sing to bees, walk dogs, make messy art, concoct tinctures, watch foreign films, and hide in books.

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